Indentured Servitude free essay sample

The legacy of the slave trade revived in the aura of the Nineteenth Century. After the abolition of slavery forms of labor that inquired the exploitation of workers remained alive. The most prominent was indentured servitude, which became one of the driving forces for global interdependence. The necessity for cheap laborers and desire to strengthen the economy stimulated the exploitation and transportation of indentured servants from Asia, Africa, the Pacific Islands and India, thus creating a self-sufficient and diverse environment in the worlds powerhouses. In response to the abolition of slavery, the importation of migrant laborers for agricultural work to the Americas was seen as a necessity. In Document 2, an editorial in the National Mercury on the visit of Sir George Grey, a British colonial governor, the author suggests that in order to gain profit from the sugar cultivation more laborers are needed to work. In this article, the servants as seen as an essential tool for their success, only valuing them for their own benefit. We will write a custom essay sample on Indentured Servitude or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In addition, in Herman Merivales excerpt, Document 1, he explains that the indentured servants are not slaves, but are aised like recruits for the military service. Both documents enforce the constant necessity for workers in countries like South America, North America and Britain. Further notion of the significance that indentured servitude had on the Americas could be obtained by government statistics on the economy in the Americas before and after the years of indentured servitude. The spread of indentured servitude in the years 1834-1919 connected Africa with the Caribbean and with Asia, as well as Asia with the Americas, as shown in the map in Document 3. The number of slaves working in Mauritius are shown in Document 6, mphasizing on the difference in gender. The conditions and regulations of the indentured servants were ridged and strict. In the images shown in Document 5, the circumstances of Asian Indian indentured laborers in sugar plantations and harvesting sugar cane are explicitly shown as backbreaking. Various workers to fulfill the arduous work became the demand of Europeans, specifically Dutch. Document 7 also shows the limited rights and high demands for indentured servants in an agreement provided by a recruiter for British Guiana, which clearly explains the conditions and rights of an indentured servant. The excerpt Everyday except Sunday Seven hours in field or ten hours in the factory buildings, shows how strenuous the conditions were for a worker. The migration of servants marked global interconnectedness that reflected the power that countries held and the submission of workers for their own benefit. The mark that indentured servitude left on the countries exporting the servants could be explored more in depth with a diary or journal from a wife in Japan, China, or India showing her feelings and emotions toward the migration of her husband. Also, an account of the economy in that country would show the financial position of countries exporting servants would how the effect that indentured servitude had on the other countries and not only the Americas. Although it was a mutual benefit, the profit gained by the servants was enjoyed. The migration of servants from one continent to another signified the cultural diversity in the Americas and did not fail to emphasize the subordinate position held by the indentured servants. This wide spread of cultures was also perceived in demographics, depicted in a chart in Document 4. Document 4 displays the numbers of servants from Indian, China and Japan exported to tropical-like lands, such as Trinidad, Cuba, and Hawaii. The diaspora of Indians, Chinese, and Japanese to foreign lands resulted in ethnic and cultural diversity in later generations. In addition, as the chart in Document 9 shows the percentage of Asian, Japanese and Chinese migration to specific lands in the year from 1920-1921. Although one of the essential results of the migration of indentured servants in the early Twentieth-Century was the diversity, the poor class of servants suffered from the aspects of indentured servitude. In a letter from an indentured servant, Document 8, the servant complains about the harsh and strict hours and low wage. The letter serves as a contradiction or opposite position as the document proposed in Document 7, in which the rights guaranteed and hours provided were lowered and diminished the servants right. Although indentured servants enjoyed the title, free workers, reality proved that slaverys old ways were still set forth in the way indentured servitude was practiced. The rise in industry and desire improve the economy aroused the need for indentured servitude. This system not only forced the intermarriage of people creating diversity but also was a tremendous benefit for the developing capitalist ocieties in the Americas and Great Britain. The abolished system of slavery instigated the rise of indentured servitude. People migrated with signed contracts from one continent to the other. Although they were considered free, it was only a title since they were subjugated to strict working hours and low wages, conditions too similar to those of a slave. The transformation that slavery had into indentured servants created a modifications to labor systems that are still seen today. Indentured servitude is still practiced nowadays, with the unjust and inhumane regulations.

Free Essays on Hate Speech

Should Hate Speech Be Censored? â€Å"I may disagree with what you have to say, but I shall defend to the death your right to say it.† (Voltaire) This is a quote that I strongly agree with. Today freedom of speech is used to help make changes all over the world but in some cases it is used to help encourage ignorant beliefs that have nearly died out over time. I am speaking about Hate Speech. It is one of the morally wrong things that the first amendment allows us to do and protects us from being persecuted by the government for it. I am not advocating any of the hate speeches made or agreeing with what they say but I am agreeing to the idea that no matter how bad or wrong it may be they should still have the right to say it. â€Å"The Protocols of the Elders of Zion† is a book that claims that Jews are secretly controlling the world or attempting to. It is a book that hate groups abide by and read almost religiously. This book has helped to inspire the mass murders of millions of Jews around the world. Amazon.com and Barnes & Nobles sell these books in their stores and on the Internet. The two companies have been criticized for selling these books by the American Jewish Committee and I am sure by many other groups but they still continue to sell it. They choose to sell it because their essential policy is to try and sell every ever published. It is my opinion that the members of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) have probably read these books themselves in trying to understand where such racism and hate comes from. These books might serve as a tool for help but in many ways they can also be served as a tool for good. Many of the books we read today in school at one point or another had been banned. The catcher in the rye, and The lord of the flies are just two examples, even though they do not compare to books preaching hate and violence the same principles apply. By censoring hate speech you are inevitably allowing a group of p... Free Essays on Hate Speech Free Essays on Hate Speech Should Hate Speech Be Censored? â€Å"I may disagree with what you have to say, but I shall defend to the death your right to say it.† (Voltaire) This is a quote that I strongly agree with. Today freedom of speech is used to help make changes all over the world but in some cases it is used to help encourage ignorant beliefs that have nearly died out over time. I am speaking about Hate Speech. It is one of the morally wrong things that the first amendment allows us to do and protects us from being persecuted by the government for it. I am not advocating any of the hate speeches made or agreeing with what they say but I am agreeing to the idea that no matter how bad or wrong it may be they should still have the right to say it. â€Å"The Protocols of the Elders of Zion† is a book that claims that Jews are secretly controlling the world or attempting to. It is a book that hate groups abide by and read almost religiously. This book has helped to inspire the mass murders of millions of Jews around the world. Amazon.com and Barnes & Nobles sell these books in their stores and on the Internet. The two companies have been criticized for selling these books by the American Jewish Committee and I am sure by many other groups but they still continue to sell it. They choose to sell it because their essential policy is to try and sell every ever published. It is my opinion that the members of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) have probably read these books themselves in trying to understand where such racism and hate comes from. These books might serve as a tool for help but in many ways they can also be served as a tool for good. Many of the books we read today in school at one point or another had been banned. The catcher in the rye, and The lord of the flies are just two examples, even though they do not compare to books preaching hate and violence the same principles apply. By censoring hate speech you are inevitably allowing a group of p...

Plato Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Plato - Essay Example In this tragedy lies heroism and moral fortitude. Although deemed guilty by the then prevailing laws of Athens, he stands righteous in spirit. Even when given the choice between a life in exile or immediate execution, he chose the latter as a matter of adhering to principle. The following passages will elaborate this assessment. Socrates was brought to trial by the democratic Athenian jury, which had scores to settle with prominent members of the previous regime. Socrates’ association with the previous regime made him a target of persecution, irrespective of the veracity of the alleged charges. He was accused of undermining religious and state authority and for also corrupting the minds of young Athenians. But in reality, Socrates made no deliberate attempts to bring down the religious and state authorities. Instead, he encouraged his students to adopt a critical approach to moral actions, also suggesting that the Athenian rulers themselves are not exempt from such scrutiny. E ven when sentenced to death by the Athenian court, Socrates did not try to evade his fate, but rather accepted it with equanimity. Even though he is termed ‘guilty’ by the Athenian court, his rationale for accepting the verdict reveals the moral soundness of his decision, thus, in effect, vindicating his moral righteousness. (Vlastoc, 1991, p.114) For example, â€Å"At 49c-d Socrates elaborates his leading premise to 'one should not wrong any person', adding to this 'not even if one has been wronged by him'. At 49e5-7 he states a further premise 'one should do what one has agreed to do, provided that it is not wrong'. He then proposes that it follows from these premises that it would be wrong for him to escape (49e9-50a3)†. (Bostock, 1990, p.2) By reasoning in this fashion, Socrates puts principles ahead of self-interest. In this broad sense, he is really not guilty. Moreover, his concern for law and order among Athenian civilians made him put public interest ahe ad of his own. For example, â€Å"if Socrates tries to escape, he will be attempting, for his part, to destroy the Laws, and (thereby) the whole city; for a city could not survive if the verdicts reached by the courts were set aside and rendered powerless by individuals. (50a8-b8).† (Bostock, 1990, p.2) Socrates reasons that one should do nothing wrong, further adding that his own life till that point was lived in accord with this premise. Since disobeying Athenian laws would amount to doing wrong, he argues against his own bodily interest and surrenders to the court. He thus accepts the death penalty imposed on him as a matter of righteous conduct and lawful behavior. It is easy to extend this logic and come to the conclusion that Socrates thought that it would always be wrong for any citizen of Athens to disobey any law of the city. But a detailed analysis of all of Socrates’ sayings shows that this is not the case. Moreover, there is ambiguity and contradiction with in the set of Athenian law that creates sufficient doubt about the ‘guilty’ verdict: â€Å"The Laws say that if Socrates escapes he will have both failed to obey and failed to persuade (52a3-4). Now quite a natural way of taking this charge would be to suppose that it claims that Socrates has not obeyed the law against impiety and corrupting the young, and also has not persuaded the jury that he should not be condemned on this account. If that is the correct way of taking it, then our proposed third